Charge for baggage???

[Carta]

I emailed a few major airlines with this question: " The fuel prices have dropped more than 50% since you started charging for the 1st and 2nd checked bag, when will this charge be eliminated?" The main reason for the charge was: fuel prices....
I received a couple replies stating it would be looked into.. Yeah right!!!!!

What do you think?

[Eric in McLean]

We don't normally fly Northwest but we did for Thanksgiving this year. They charge $15 for every piece of checked luggage. Silly me for not knowing. I have no choice but to check my golf clubs but my wife didn't have to check her luggage, other than the fact she chose to bring a huge hardcase. In theory I'm not against the practice. People should pay extra for bring more luggage. Presumably that means the ticket price itself will be lower for everyone.

[Dave M]

I concur. I'm one who rarely checks bags. Those who use the service should pay for it.
There have been several financial press (e.g., the WSJ) articles recently that make it clear that extra charges, such as baggage fees, are here to stay.

Is it nickel and dime stuff? Sure, but the airlines need the revenue. They have had huge losses for years. Losing a few major airlines to more mergers and bankruptcies will not be good for those who fly. Maybe with lower fuel prices (if they stabilize) and the new lower capacity from cutting back on the number of flights, most of the U.S. airlines will finally turn a profit in 2009. I hope so.

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Had airlines from the start established a base fare with added charges for additional services, no one would have the slightest complaints now about the add-ons.

There are lots of markets that function with that type of pricing. If you want office software for your computer, each additional program you add (database, publisher, project management) adds more to the cost. When you buy a vehicle, each added item you want added results in an additional charge. The pricing for services provided model is pretty common.

IMHO, this situation is a legacy of the old fixed pricing scheme that was in place before air fare deregulation. Because the fares were set at a level where all airlines serving the route made a profit and all carriers charged essentially the same fare, the only way to compete for business was to provide extra services. So airlines offered baggage handling, free food that people actually wanted to eat, blankets, pillows, etc.

With that model in place expectations were created that those amenities were a fundamental part of flying, so now people get upset when those items are taken away. Had the industry been competing on fares from the start, those expectations would have never been embedded.

******

Don't wax nostalgic for those good old days, however. In 1970 when I flew from St. Louis to Minneapolis as a student, I flew Braniff at two-thirds student fare, and paid close to $100. When I moved to California in 1973, Pacific Soutwest Airlines (PSA) flew from SFX to LAX for $19. The distance between the airports was identical. The difference in fares was solely because PSA operated only in California and was therefore not subject to federal fare regulation. It was an open market in California and as a result fares were less than one-third of what they were elsewhere.

In constant dollar terms, that $100 flight in 1970 would be the same as paying about $800 now. To go from St. Louis to Minneapolis. At those prices driving a car (or taking a bus or a train) becomes a much more attractive alternative.

That's a big reason why people fly so much now; it is much cheaper. The impact of deregulation has been huge for destination such as Hawai'i and the Caribbean. Without deregulation those locations would not have nearly the number of tourists they currently have. If airplane tickets to Hawai'i cost $2000 each, you might travel to Hawai'i once or twice at most. But when tickets cost less than $600 (and often are even less than that with frequent flyer miles and companion fare offers) frequent travel to Hawai'i becomes possible for many people.

[UWSurfer]

Originally Posted by T_R_Oglodyte

When I moved to California in 1973, Pacific Soutwest Airlines (PSA) flew from SFX to LAX for $19.

PSA WAS a fun airline to fly!!!

I used them regularly to fly to Vegas early in my career for the annual trade show. I still have embeded in my memory the plane having wheels left the runway maybe 60 seconds earlier, the plane still climbing at what felt like a 25 degree angle and two flight attendents pushing the drink cart up hill, up the isle, in order to get everything served in the short flight to Vegas.

PSA spawned fierce competition with a couple other carriers to attempted to take its cheap routes on. Air-Cal frequently went head to head with them and American tried for awhile as did Western. American eventually bought Air-Cal, Delta picked up Western & PSA was acquired by USAir.

I flew Northwest from Denver to St. Paul for the Republican National Convention at the end of August with a checked bag for free. When I returned on Northwest to LA a little over a week later I got dinged with the check bagage fee. It didn't matter to Northwest I had bought the ticket prior to their fee dates, they simply applied it across the board starting September 1. While I understood why they impose the fee, I still was not very happy.

[Dave M]

Originally Posted by UWSurfer

It didn't matter to Northwest I had bought the ticket prior to their fee dates, they simply applied it across the board starting September 1. While I understood why they impose the fee, I still was not very happy.

You must have purchased your ticket after July 10. NW announced on July 8 that the fee would apply to flights on and after August 28 on all tickets purchased on or after July 10. If you bought your ticket before July 10, you shouldn't have paid the fee. There was a lot of press coverage about the new fee this past summer.

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Originally Posted by UWSurfer

PSA was acquired by USAir. .

USAir at that time was trying to build themselves into a carrier that blanketed the US. But they had very little presence on the West Coast; that was what made PSA attractive to them.

But USAir failed to understand that Western US is a north-south market, not an east-west market. USAir reconfigured the PSA routes and fleets to feed into a nationwide east-west market, and much of their customer base went away. About three years after acquiring PSA, USAir had no more flights in the west than they had prior to the PSA acquisition. They pretty much flushed almost the entire amount of money they spent acquiring PSA. All they had to show for it was a bunch of aging Boeing 707s and 727s, with associated debt incurred in the takeover.

American Airlines did much the same after acquiring AirCal, though AA didn't bungle it quite as badly. But when Southwest announced they were starting operations in the Bay Area Robert Crandell, the CEO of American, said they weren't even going to try to compete with Southwest. He took much of what had been AirCal and spun it out as a low-cost carrier (Reno Air, IIRC).

Meanwhile there was this airline based in Anchorage that sniffed an opportunity to step into a now underserved market ...

[UWSurfer]

Originally Posted by Dave M

You must have purchased your ticket after July 10. NW announced on July 8 that the fee would apply to flights on and after August 28 on all tickets purchased on or after July 10. If you bought your ticket before July 10, you shouldn't have paid the fee. There was a lot of press coverage about the new fee this past summer.

Purchased the tickets on July 21. The fee is in the VERY Fine Print of T&C's. The leg I didn't get charged however was on 8/29 of all things. I guess I lucked out.

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

To me, it seems ridiculous to charge for a checked bag, as opposed to a carry on bag. That just causes more people to use carry on (which still weighs down the plane) and feels up the carry on spaces faster. I can see charging for extra weight or a second suitcase, but I think a person should expect that when they travel, their fee includes a piece of luggage.
Liz

[Talent312]

Originally Posted by Liz Wolf-Spada

... feels up the carry on spaces faster...

I'd like to know how one "feels up" spaces, but I digress...
I'd also prefer to do the carry-on thing, but my DW likes to pack half her stuff into one of those huge pullmans -- the shoes, the curlers, the makeup.... IMO, the airlines are justified in charging her a fee.
But of course, her "high maintenance" lifestyle comes out of my hide as well. : sigh :

[dougp26364]

Originally Posted by Liz Wolf-Spada

To me, it seems ridiculous to charge for a checked bag, as opposed to a carry on bag. That just causes more people to use carry on (which still weighs down the plane) and feels up the carry on spaces faster. I can see charging for extra weight or a second suitcase, but I think a person should expect that when they travel, their fee includes a piece of luggage.
Liz

Even my wife can't get 50#'s for stuff tucked into her carry on and lord knows she's tried. I'd be willing to bet the most carry on bags don't get over 10#'s while the average checked bag is probably in the 25# to 40# range. Plus, the airlines don't have to hire baggage handlers for carry on luggage.

I think what ticks people off the most is that airlines started these fee's stating it was a necessisty due to the cost of fuel. I'm sure the thinking was that the cost of fuel would never come down significantly and they'd never have to worry about the negative PR generated if they didn't drop the add on fee's. Opps, looks like they guessed wrong.

Baggage fee's are here to stay along with fee's for choosing your own seat, meals et..... I'll draw the line if they install pay toilets. For those of you who are bullish on paying extra for a service you use well, there you go.......or don't go as the case me be.

[Timeshare Von]

I'm not advocating for the airlines as I too dislike the added fees for checking a bag . . . or two . . . but . . .

I believe the added cost to do so was done to help offset the losses being incurred by the airlines. Fuel was a major line item, especially during the summer, but they have other costs that have caused them financial problems. The airlines that have been through bankruptcy all entered it before the fuel cost explosions of this past year.

With that being said, I believe that the charging for a bag (or two) has more to do with the handling of those bags and the costs (labor) to do so. If you as the passenger are the only one handling your bags, they do not need as many baggage handlers, etc. at the airport.

The one thing I haven't seen or experienced yet is what happens if you have an appropriate sized bag for a carryon and once onboard, there is no overhead space left and they have to check it from inside the plane before departure. I wonder if you will get charged the checked bag fee then??

[Carol C]

Have folks here ever gone through the Miami Airport in past years? So many people visiting the US bought loads of consumer electronics to take back to whatever country in Latin America. All that weight! I saw tvs of all sizes, other large bulky items tied together with heavy cord. That was then, this is now. Personally I'm glad I don't have to trip over all that stuff in MIA anymore. (And I'm glad I don't have to pay any share of that export trade; I'm sure the cost of fuel for that extra weight was borne by all of us flying those routes.)

[talkamotta]

Originally Posted by Liz Wolf-Spada

To me, it seems ridiculous to charge for a checked bag, as opposed to a carry on bag. That just causes more people to use carry on (which still weighs down the plane) and feels up the carry on spaces faster. I can see charging for extra weight or a second suitcase, but I think a person should expect that when they travel, their fee includes a piece of luggage.
Liz

I agree with you completely. I used to be one of those people who carried half thier closet or an extra suitcase full of gifts for the grandkids. But one suitcase should be expected.

[dioxide45]

The problem I have with the fee is that then more people then try to cram more items in to their carry on. Carry on space on many aircrafts is at a premium and I have seen many people get on a plane and be sitting at the front have to take their carry on all the way to the back because there is no room in the overhead bins. Fixing one thing always spawns another problem.

[myip]

Also, it creates a problem of taking longer time to board and unboard because folks are using carry-on and fight overhead space...